Last night, after a crazy day walking through town in a scorching heat, I arrived at the Nkrumah circle trotro station to catch my ride back to the hostel around 7PM. The station was jam packed with buses and people. What amazed me was the peace I felt in the lines of people waiting for their bus. There was no pushing, cheating or yelling. In the midst of what appears like complete chaos, with hundreds of trotros parked withing inches of each other, I felt a calm unity in this mass of people, and my body relaxed, surrendering to an energy that makes everything work here, maybe not to western standards, but it works. Today, while walking through the Makola market, acutely aware, as always, of being an "Obruni" (white man), a woman`s smile inspired my face to relax. I immediately felt a wave of smiles all around me, as if my energy affected the whole market. After 10 days in the city, I am beginning to feel like a person, an earth being, intricately connected to the web of souls here. It feels good to shed a bit of that sense of separation. Tomorrow, I will go to the neighborhood school to dance with the children. They`ve been asking about me so I have postponed my departure to the beaches to go play with them again. Their joy is so nurturing, it will charge me up before I head out of town into the country side (see video clip)
Slowly Being Cooked, Accra, March 18
Green Apple and Dance Church, Accra, March 17
I finally went to the local beach the other day but the sight of overweight westerners drinking cheap beer was less than appealing. I have been enjoying my young friends at the hostel and I took two of them to another rehearsal of Nana`s band last night.
Sunday morning, three of us from the hostel went to a local church-a 3 1/2 hour service! I went because I heard they danced but the dancing and singing was short and sweet, while the preaching was a hammering blitz that squeezed the devil out of me for a few hours at least. The sound must have exceeded 110 decibels and three preachers took turn demanding that the congregation (of a mere 30 or so people) come to service at leat 3 times a week to truly call themselves good Christians. I loved the dancing, but man, do they pound it on these poor souls!
Today, I got a multiple visa for Togo, Cote d`Ivoire, Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso, just in case the wind blows me accross borders. I am ready to get out of town, the heat and pollution are overwhelming. Accra has been good to me and I have made good friends. I won`t be hiring a guide afterall as I don`t want to spend 24/7 with someone I don`t really jive with. The fellow I really wanted to hire did not respond. I got that when these young men return to their villages, they are often asked to stay as shrine keepers or chiefs. But they have created their lives in the city and like it that way. I`m sure I`ll meet the guides that I will need along the way.
A Power Strip for Nana, Accra, March 14
In Love with the Kids, Accra, March 11
This morning, the young teachers from England, who are staying at the hostel with me, took me to their school in our neighborhood. Wednesday is prayer day and for that occasion, they drum, sing and, you have guessed...dance! My kind of church! Within minutes, I was dancing surrounded by children and my heart went bonkers. I haven`t danced for months and had been waiting for that time. I feel so happy. The young kids, the girls especially (8-12) were all over me, even pulling the hair in my armpits! The sight of an Obruni (white man) who could dance was a treat to them. The joy in these kids was outstanding, and the music, played by excellent musicians, was just what my soul was longing for (see slide show).
Yesterday, I returned to the University of Ghana, where my friend Daniel had told me musicians and dancers hangout under a large Baobab tree. And they were there indeed, so I asked for Selasi, whom Daniel studied with, and one of his dancer friends went to get him at the rehearsal hall. We spoke for nearly two hours, joined by two other musicians. I told them my story, the visions and my desire to seek healing in the village dances. They have agreed to take me to their village shrine in a couple weeks. Franklin, the other young man I met with Hammond also agreed to take me to his village in the Volta region near Togo.
The Ancestors are finally smiling upon me and opening new pathways for my journey. I am so happy to be here and love the people so much. I need to learn about kindness and the people here are it!
Accra, Ghana, March 10
Second day in Accra which means I survived my first one! I am staying at the Crystal Hostel, a budget hostel run by a Christian family in Darkuman, a funky but fun neighborhood North of the city. My roommates are Mathew, an American student on a scholarship, making a documentary on football, and Casper, a young British student who teaches English in the city.
I spent my first day getting acquainted with taking tro-tros (small buses), sqeezing myself amongsts the colorfull locals who are adorable and incredibly willing to help a lost tourist. I went to the University of Ghana where I was told musicians and dancers hang out. It was Sunday so no one was practicing but I met Double, a young Ghanean playing a two-string guitar under a tree. We had a little chat and he let me use his cell phone to contact Hammond, the young student that my friend Danielle, who spent a few months here studying dance, recommended I meet. Hammond and his side kick Howard, both twenty and computer students, came late last night to the hotel to meet me. We are meeting again today in an Internet Cafe and meet Franklin, a friend of theirs who is more familiar with the dance culture around the country.
See video clip
Back from the Woods and Turning 50, March 7
Then I met with this wild creature called Lionel, one of my friend Pascale’s budddies, who heals both men and horses. He gave me some interesting perspectives on healing and shielding oneself from negative energies. Yesterday, I went to visit some old friends of my parents who live in a farmhouse outside of Lyon. They are the finest and sweetest people, and very loved by my entire family. I took a long walk in the woods and laid under a tree, facing the sun. I reflected on my intention for my journey to Africa-healing. Healing my sense of being separate from community, healing my anger about events from the past, healing my mistrust of people and healing my body.
As I have shared previously, I have had a rough time preparing myself to go to Africa, to the point of often feeling so sick and unprepared that I wished to turn back. I have had to face so many aspects of my being that I have not had to ever face so fully. I almost felt like on my death bed, revisiting my life, and experienced terror at the amount of incompleteness, negativity and bitterness that I carry in my being. It was frightening to feel so unprepared for death.
So now, I am finally 50 and smiling. I feel ready, calm and yes, at peace with myself. Several talks with my lover, whom I mentioned in my last post, brought me back to balance after falling into some dark places. I climbed back with dignity, courage and even a lot of compassion for her and me. As a teacher of mine used to say: « spiritual progress is not measured by whether you loose your center or not, but how quickly you come back to center after being thrown off balance ». The fire I burnt in this time wasn’t nearly as hot as many others I experienced before. I was aware of reactivating undigested/unforgiven past events, and ritualized a letting go in order to pull myself out of a dangerous spin. It worked because my energy shifted noticeably and things improved quickly towards taking the pain onto the journey. It was another test of spirits before my departure. As strange as everything has been for the past several months, I am still here even though I contemplated vanishing from this Planet because of the intensity of my sorrow, and a debilitating sense of confusion and physical weakness. I had never gone so low without using something to distract myself or numb the pain.
So I celebrate this first half century with an appreciation of the wild and creative existence that I have had. I have never been in such debt and been so uncertain about my future, but I can say honestly that I look forward to becoming younger and wilder everyday! I give thanks to the Spirits and friends who love me, believe in me and guide me along my healing journey.
Burning Hot, Lyon, March 2
I had a feeling last night that it was time to cut loose on this blog and not mind so much about being naked with my heart, body and mind turmoils. Who reads this darn thing anyway? These last few months have been such a crazy wild ride of battles, surrenders, heart openings, blissful attainements and kamikaze bomb dives into despair and depression. Chemical imbalance? Madness? Cancer? Karma purification?
